The battle opened with the two figures gazing at Santrel and Fanara. The sight of the disfigured ghostly creatures caused both physical and Charisma damage to the elves. Then the battle was joined by the rest of the party.
Milos cast Bless as Amadeo and Casia began their attacks. Santrel thought that Magic Missiles would be the best as it would completely damage the ghosts. All were of course hindered by not looking directly at the horrible enemies.
This led to many misses as the party flailed around trying to hit the creatures without really looking at them. Amadeo even disregarded this plan and took damage from the gaze.
The battle ranged around the chamber as the party continued to miss with regularity. The Sons of the Spirit Mother were not having much luck themselves, although they held nice magic longswords. After
more back and forth and repositioning the party finally got the upper hand and even though it was tough they sent the spirits to a final rest.
After some healing, the party was set to move on. "We should just try to leave by the door indicated in the map. Let's ignore the rest of these tombs, at least for now." Casia suggested.
Jorgen headed to the only door that was not labelled and finding no traps tried to open it. It was of course locked, so he broke out his tools and attempted to pick the lock. This was successful and he looked out into another dark hallway. The hallway descended further into the mesa with a set of carved steps. At teh bottom of the stairs the hall leveled out and turned to the south where Jorgen saw another door.
This door was not trapped either but again was locked. Drawing again on his skill Jorgen picked this lock. About this time a cry went up from Fanara. "I found some magic swords in this other tomb,"
Fanara had used mage hand to cut away at the wax sealing the north door. Carved above this door was the name Vespera. The hand could not open the stone door but a polearm could. Inside were three skeletons wrapped in gauzy sheets. Two of the remains had magic longswords laying on top of the bones. She gathered them up and headed back to rejoin the rest of the party.
"Retreat!! I am not sure we can fight this monster right now. Let's regroup and make a plan." Casia ordered.
Jorgen led the retreat as Amadeo waited to shut the door. The rest of the party retreated to the mausoleum in hopes that the creature would not follow. Amadeo kept a watchful eye as he came last into the crypt and slammed that door shut. Fanara spiked the door and Milos tried to heal Jorgen but the green flames continued but did not worsen.
It appeared that the green shrouded creature would not follow the party in retreat so they began to make plans to rest as they were low on spells and energy. Before doing this Santrel suggested identifying the magic items they had acquired. Fanara agreed but wanted to examine the suggested tombs behind the other doors in this mausoleum. Reluctantly Jorgen agreed to check out the remaining eight doors.
Beginning with the northerly door on the west wall Jorgen began to search for traps and locked doors . At the first door, which was engraved with the name Seraphina, he disabled the trap and found a tomb with a shrouded corpse. Fanara detected no magic in the tomb.
At the next door, which was engraved with the name Melisande, he found the trap but tripped it and felt his Intelligence become lower, The tomb contained a shrouded corpse. Fanara detected no magic in the tomb but there was a silver, jeweled athame laying atop the skeleton.
At the third door, which was engraved with the name Mirelda, he disabled the trap and found a tomb with a shrouded corpse. Fanara detected no magic in the tomb. At this point Jorgen's glowing green flames disappeared and he no longer felt sick.
Now on the south wall, the next door, which was engraved with the name Rowena, he found the trap but tripped it and felt his Dexterity become lower, The tomb contained a shrouded corpse. Fanara detected a necklace with magic feather bangles laying atop the skeleton.
Even though it was no more difficult to remove the traps, Jorgen continued. At the last door on the south, which was engraved with the name Nyxara, he disabled the trap and found a tomb with a shrouded corpse. Fanara detected no magic in the tomb.
Moving to the east wall, at the first door, which was engraved with the name Varissa, he disabled the trap and found a tomb with a shrouded corpse. Fanara detected no magic in the tomb. At the next door, which was engraved with the name Amara, he found the trap but tripped it and felt his Constitution become lower, The tomb contained a shrouded corpse. Fanara detected no magic in the tomb. Finally at the last door labeled Celestria Jorgen found and disabled the trap and opened the tomb to a shrouded skeleton. Fanara noted a magic wand atop the figure.
Santrel was keeping track of the names and determined that each name was also engraved on a statue, apparently these women were of some importance. Jorgen was tired, dismayed and slightly angry about his condition. He pleaded for help in a soft voice.
Since the group was preparing to rest Milos applied healing to the group which did not help Jorgen's abilities. He proudly noted that he was able to cast restoration at the groups new level. Jorgen pleaded for the gentle touch of this spell but after it was finished found his state had not changed.
"What else could this be?" Jorgen screamed to the heavens.
"Probably a curse of some kind," the gods, no Santrel answered.
In the meantime Milos used lesser restoration and restoration to remove or reduce the Charisma damage inflicted by the Ghost Barbarians. Then Fanara and Santrel set about identifying the magic items they had found. The two swords were magic ghost touch longswords divided between Fanara and Amadeo.
"Great, a wand of remove curse," Fanara exclaimed. "Jorgen, here is another way to help you."
Jorgen scampered to Fanara's side and waited for the touch of the wand. As waves of a tingling sensation traveled his body, Jorgen felt all but his Dexterity improve.
"I guess Milos will have to try again tomorrow to remove that last disability," Fanara said red faced.
After a rest the party prepared for the next day as Milos used a restoration to remove Jorgen's final disability. As Fanara was undergoing her seance the party saw the scraggly, white haired, deathly looking hag appear once again. She admitted in a soft, breaking voice that something appeared to come over her once again. She could only give the spell casters an extra bit of damage this day as she shuffled around once again.
The party prepared for the green flame creature without knowing much about it. They just wanted to not be subject to the flame. Santrel stated he would cast Summon Monster bringing in a Rhino while using the Cauldron of Overwhelming Allies to bring in additional dire bats in case the creature could fly.
After the Summoned monsters appeared the crew would charge into the room to face the monster. Jorgen again led the party down the hallway. At the door he waited until Santrel began casting the Summon Monster. The lead of the party saw the creature in the center of the room, floating in the air. The Rhino and Dire bats appeared and moved to attack the glowing woman. The rest of the party moved in but couldn't get in position to do other than ranged attacks.
The woman disappeared and it was not clear where she was. Fanara moved down through her space and found nothing. The others attempted to attack the area around the monsters. The bats flew to the left, clearly they knew where the woman was. Santrel followed up with a Glitter Dust spell to make her visible once again. He was then hit by a green bolt taking fire damage. The party kept up its ranged attacks. The rhinos and bat were having difficulty hitting they merely harried the creature as she flew around the chamber firing bolts at various member of the party.
Milos had cast Bless and followed that up with Prayer. Fanara had hasted the party and then Milos was needed for healing of various members. The enemy was identified as a Witchfire, an undead incorporeal creature. Fly was cast on Amadeo and Casia as they held the ghost touch long swords. They flew to attack and a back and forth battle continued with the Witchfire flying away from the battle for the most part and then firing her Witchfire bolt at members of the party.
The Witchfire was taking damage but seemed to be strong still. At one point she moved directly through Casia who took the damage and then burst into green flames and became sickened. At the next turn Casia was hit again and took even more damage from the fire. As she hit Casia she hissed "Wait until you meet my coven sisters."
Fanara was applying hexes to the Witchfire, evil eyes that reduced her capabilities and misfortune. She also was sickened by Santrel. Casia fled for healing from Milos but Amadeo followed attacking with fervor. Casia eventually joined him and Fanara was hit by the bolt and burst into green flames. Santrel was hitting with acid splash and Milos was busy healing up the party while Jorgen kept firing bolts as the Witchfire.
A new bolt missed Fanara just as Amdeo hit the creature and it was delivered to final death. The party was quite tired and rested for a moment as Milos continued healing. Finally they took a good look at the whole room. The grand chamber had the appearance of a dark temple. Intricately woven tapestries hung from the walls, depicted dark forests beneath crescent moons and filled with beasts and capering hags. Along the west wall stood a large stone hearth containing the charred remains of a balefire. On either side of the hearth hung a large cauldron; one was iron, the other copper. To the left of the hearth, the wall was painted with the giant image of a fanged crone with raven's wings and a donkey tail. A longspear hung on the south wall of the room, pointing east, while a curved sword hung on the north wall, pointing west. In the northeast corner stood a plain oaken table which held wooden panpipes, a polished copper bowl, and a silver punching dagger.
A quick search for magic found only the panpipes and the longspear. The punching dagger appeared to be Masterwork alchemical silver. There were three more doors in the chamber, two to the east and one to the west. In the far southeast corner a passageway continued into the darkness. Jorgen determined that all the doors were locked but not trapped. No secret doors or passageways were found so the party decided to head west since there was only one possibility there.
Jorgen took three attempts to unlock the door which opened on another hallway in the dark going down. Fanara had determined that the group had delved about 200-300 feet deep into the mesa. This passage headed into a anti-clockwise spiral heading further into the mesa. Afer another 100 feet the long and winding stone staircase finally descended into a cavern whose walls supported rough wooden shelves piled high with all manner of weird bric-a-brac. Beneath the shelves, a couple of crude worktables held more items of similar nature. A huge wooden mortar bound with iron bands stood near the tables, its club-sized pestle propped within. In the south side of the room, a ring of small stones surrounded a small fire that filled the entire room with the scent of pine.
"Greetings, what are you doing here?"
"Please help me. I am ready to deliver and I cannot leave the chamber," the woman said.
"You will die. You are not associated with Vsevolod. He said to kill anyone following us." was the giant's response.
He then threw the cauldron at Amadeo who had advanced into the area. The others were still on the stairway coming down into the chamber. Casia jumped down to get closer to the woman, hoping to help her. Fanara came down the stairs and tried to identify the woman and surprisingly she seemed to be a hag, not a normal human as see appeared. Fanara let the party know as Amadeo approached the giant. Fully into battle with Amadeo and eventually Fanara the giant's greataxe bit deeply. At some point the human woman disappeared. Santrel cast burning arc on the giant and Jorgen moved into to charge the monster.
Looking around the room the group found the shelves full of tiny sculptures, fetishes, amulets of metal and clay, locks of hair, pin-riddled corn husk dolls, and more than a few weathered tomes. Yellowed glass jars held vile and suspect-looking samples suspended in unknown fluids, and small clay pots overflow with unknown dusts, powders, and sickly colored unguents.
The pestel was magical as was something hidden on the shelves which turned out to be a dusty stick broom. Milos provided healing as the party looked at the items. The moldering tomes on the shelves dealt with a variety of esoteric subjects-most were frightfully out of date, however one was labeled a cookbook and was magical. This book was bound in dyed goatskin, and its coarse, thick pages were stained in a variety of colors and covered in wavering script; rough sketches; and diagrams of various plants, mystic symbols, and animal parts. A crude wooden spoon served as a bookmark. It appeared to be recipes of some fashion, but with magical overtones. Santrel scooped it up. After clearing all they desired and finding no other doors the party headed back up the winding stairs.
DM's Notes: The party earned 3,467 XP and are now around 8,000 XP from 9th level.
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